Rivers Depth
by TattooFairy
Summary: Megumi needs help, will Sano get there in time?


(Notice: I am not the creator of these characters from Kenshin, so please give full credit to someone else than myself. Please enjoy the story and let me know what you think!)  
  
It was another typical, busy day at Dr. Gensai's clinic. The elderly were complaining about bone pains; young children sat in their mothers' laps either crying or sleeping; and then there were a couple of young men injured during fights....like the spiked haired 19 year old, Sagara Sanosuke. Sagara Sanosuke, or better known as Sano, was a regular to the clinic. If he weren't fighting about one thing, it would be about something else.  
  
Today he was getting his bandages changed on his hand, the result of a dog bite. (He fought a dog over a piece of steak, and lost.) Sano looked at all the people around him, stopping his eyes on an elderly woman. He had seen her several times before, apparently suffering from a bad back. Suddenly, something else caught his attention, or more to the fact, someone else. Takani Megumi, the one who had changed his bandages hundreds of times before. She was showing a patient the way out as she instructed him on how to use the medicine she prescribed. Her long black hair swept gracefully behind her as she turned to call the next person, Sagara Sanosuke.  
  
"Sano," Was all she had to say to get him to follow her.  
  
He sat down as she closed the door behind them. He knew the procedure almost as well as he knew about his tab at the akabeko.   
  
"No new cuts or bruises today? That's unusual." She asked as she pulled off the bandages around his hand.  
  
"I just need this changed," he replied as he stared into her eyes.  
  
Suddenly there was a slight knock on the door followed by Dr. Gensai's head peeking in.  
  
"Megumi, I need you to go up to the supplier's house and get some things for me. You might want to take Sano with you, there's quite a lot to carry."  
  
"Alright, we'll just finish this and we'll be on our way," Megumi replied.  
  
After his hand was re-bandaged, Megumi and Sano started off towards the forest and hills. Dr. Gensai's supplier, an old friend of his from when he was a student, lived in a small house on the side of the mountain.   
  
"Why do I have to come along?" Sano grumbled while he shoved his hands into his pockets.  
  
"You heard Dr. Gensai. There's a lot of supplies that we need and I can't carry it all by myself." Megumi said as she continued up the hill.  
  
"Man, and I was supposed to go to the Akabeko for lunch. They're expecting me, ya know." He whined as his stomach made the familiar gurgling sound.  
  
"I'm sure Tae can hold your lunch for you. Besides, you'll just be adding more onto your tab. It's going to take forever to pay it off."  
  
Sano mumbled something under his breath as they continued their climb. The hill was starting to get a little steeper as they went along. They came up to the bridge and stopped.  
  
"We have to go over that?" Sano cried as he looked at the small wooden bridge.   
  
"It's perfectly safe...that is, unless you're scared?" She smirked.  
  
"Me scared? Don't make me laugh, Fox." He said as he pushed passed her and started crossing the bridge.  
  
Megumi followed shortly after and just as they were crossing the middle of the bridge they heard a faint noise. Thinking that it was just an animal, they continued across. Until they noticed that the rope at the end of the bridge was coming apart.  
  
"Uh oh, that can't be good." Sano remarked.   
  
They started to back up slowly when Sano heard another noise, this time it sounded like something breaking. He turned around just in time to see Megumi fall through the board and down into the river.  
  
"MEGUMI!" He yelled.  
  
Without thinking he jumped over the side of the bridge after her, diving in headfirst. Megumi was already a good distance from him, but he knew he had to catch up with her no matter what.   
  
"SANO!" Megumi tried to yell, but her mouth was filled with water as she was pulled under the current.   
  
Sano watched as she seemed to get farther and farther away. Hold on Fox, I'm coming, he thought. Kicking as hard as he could he swam towards her.   
  
By now Megumi had taken in water and was slowly going unconscious. The last thing she saw was Sano's hand reaching for her.  
  
Sano grabbed her hand and pulled himself towards her. He looked for an opportunity to grab onto something when he noticed a rock right in front of them.  
  
"This might be my only chance." He thought as he tightened his grip on Megumi's waist.   
  
He put his feet out in front of him as they got closer to the rock. When he finally did reach it he pushed to the side and away from it, sending them over to the embankment. He pulled Megumi's limp body out of the water and leaned her against a tree.  
  
"Come on, Fox. Wake up." He said, slightly shaking her. He put his hand to the side of her neck and felt for a pulse. Nothing. "Don't do this to me, Megumi. You can't leave me like this."  
  
He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, followed by a couple of pushes on her chest. Still nothing. He leaned down again, and tried it once more.   
  
"Megumi, please, wake up."   
  
He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers for a third time when she opened her eyes. He pulled back as she started to cough up the water that she had swallowed. He pulled her up into his arms as he tried to warm her up. It didn't do much since he was also soaking wet.  
  
"You had me worried there, Fox. Almost didn't think you were coming back."   
  
Megumi smiled as best she could, she was just too tired to do anything else.  
  
Sano decided to build a fire to get them warmed up, so he leaned her back against the tree and went to get some firewood. When he came back, Megumi had fallen asleep on the ground. She didn't have the strength to keep herself upright.   
  
After he built the fire he sat down next to her, and picked her up. She turned and buried her face into his chest while she wrapped her arms around his waist. Sano smiled as she slightly snored, mumbling something about getting medicine. He looked down at her face, namely her lips, and his thoughts went back to only a few hours before. He wondered if she had realized what he was doing, or if it was just a blur to her. He wrapped his arms around her and soon fell asleep.  
  
Megumi woke up to find Sano fast asleep. She smiled at him and noticed that he looked like a little boy when he slept. She slowly reached up and touched his face, grateful for what he had done earlier. She owed her life to him, without him she wouldn't be alive. She would give her life for him, and her heart. She looked up to see the sun setting and realized that they had been gone for a while. Sitting up, she turned around and shook Sano.  
  
"Sano...get up. We have to get back or else everyone is going to think something happened to us." She said.  
  
Still asleep.  
  
"Sano!" She shook him a little harder.  
  
Sano shifted in his sleep and mumbled something. Megumi leaned in closer to him to hear what he was saying.  
  
"Megumi," he whispered.  
  
Megumi pulled away as Sano snorted, and then opened his eyes. He looked around, confused as to why he was sitting in the middle of the woods. Then he remembered what happened and quickly grabbed Megumi.  
  
"Are you alright?!" He asked, almost as if he couldn't believe she was still alive.  
  
"I'm fine, thanks to you. But we'd better get back, it's getting late." She stood up and brushed off her dress.  
  
The entire way back neither one of them said a word. When they finally reached the clinic Megumi touched Sano on the arm. He was a little surprised, but he didn't mind it. She looked down at the ground as she stumbled over her words.  
  
"Sano...I just wanted to say that...uh...thank you. Without you I would have drowned out there. I don't know what I can do to repay you."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Fox. You'd better get in there and let the old man know what happened." He replied.  
  
Megumi started to walk away when she was suddenly grabbed from behind. Sano wrapped his arms around her shoulders and whispered into her ear.  
  
"I'm glad you're alright. I don't know what I would have done if..." He couldn't finish the sentence, but instead leaned in and kissed her cheek.  
  
Letting go of her he walked off towards the dojo. Megumi just stood there, her hand on her cheek, as Sano's figure faded into the background. 


End file.
